How the PDC Order of Merit Works
Unlike tennis (points system) or golf (weighted average), professional darts operates on a pure two-year rolling prize money calculation. Every £1 earned in an official PDC ranking tournament equals one ranking point. A player's world ranking is the exact sum of all ranking prize money won across the trailing 24 calendar months.
2-Year Rolling Calculation
Rankings are determined by official prize money won in ranking tournaments over an ongoing 24-month cycle (£1 earned = 1 ranking pound).
Ranking Events Only
Prize money counts exclusively from PDC ranking tournaments (World Championship, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, UK Open, Grand Slam, European Championship, Players Championship Finals, European Tour, and Players Championship events).
Non-Ranking Events Excluded
Invitational events such as Premier League Darts, the World Series of Darts, and The Masters do NOT count toward Order of Merit totals.
Defending Prize Money
Players defend prize money won at the equivalent event two years prior. Failure to reach the same stage results in a net drop in ranking points.
Provisional Top 32 Order of Merit: 2026/27 World Championship Seeds
Final seeded positions are locked following the completion of the Players Championship Finals in late November 2026. Players ranked 1 to 32 receive a direct bye into Round Two.
| Rank | Player | Nationality | 2-Year Prize Money | Status / Recent Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Luke Humphries | England | £1,745,000 | Reigning World Champion; defending major winner |
| #2 | Michael van Gerwen | Netherlands | £1,120,000 | 3x World Champion; perennial world #1 challenger |
| #3 | Michael Smith | England | £965,000 | 2023 World Champion |
| #4 | Luke Littler | England | £860,000 | 2024 World Finalist; rapid ascension into top 4 |
| #5 | Gerwyn Price | Wales | £755,000 | 2021 World Champion |
| #6 | Rob Cross | England | £710,000 | 2018 World Champion |
| #7 | Dave Chisnall | England | £615,000 | Consistent European Tour title winner |
| #8 | Jonny Clayton | Wales | £580,000 | Premier League & World Grand Prix champion |
| #9 | Peter Wright | Scotland | £525,000 | 2x World Champion (2020, 2022) |
| #10 | Damon Heta | Australia | £505,000 | Highest-ranked Oceanic player |
| #11 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | Belgium | £485,000 | UK Open & World Matchplay champion |
| #12 | Danny Noppert | Netherlands | £465,000 | Former UK Open champion |
| #13 | Chris Dobey | England | £450,000 | Masters champion & major contender |
| #14 | Nathan Aspinall | England | £440,000 | World Matchplay champion |
| #15 | Ross Smith | England | £425,000 | European Champion & prolific 180 scorer |
| #16 | Stephen Bunting | England | £410,000 | 2024 Masters champion |
| #17 | Josh Rock | Northern Ireland | £385,000 | World Youth Champion |
| #18 | Gary Anderson | Scotland | £375,000 | 2x World Champion (2015, 2016) |
| #19 | Ryan Searle | England | £355,000 | Heavy-dart specialist |
| #20 | Andrew Gilding | England | £345,000 | UK Open champion |
| #21 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | Netherlands | £330,000 | High-scoring Dutch star |
| #22 | Martin Schindler | Germany | £325,000 | Highest-ranked German player |
| #23 | Gabriel Clemens | Germany | £305,000 | Historic 2023 World Semi-Finalist |
| #24 | Joe Cullen | England | £295,000 | The Rockstar; major finalist |
| #25 | Raymond van Barneveld | Netherlands | £285,000 | 5x World Champion; legendary veteran |
| #26 | Daryl Gurney | Northern Ireland | £275,000 | 2x Major champion |
| #27 | Gian van Veen | Netherlands | £270,000 | Elite young Dutch contender |
| #28 | Brendan Dolan | Northern Ireland | £260,000 | History Maker; multi-quarterfinalist |
| #29 | Ritchie Edhouse | England | £250,000 | European Tour title contender |
| #30 | Krzysztof Ratajski | Poland | £245,000 | The Polish Eagle |
| #31 | Mike De Decker | Belgium | £235,000 | Major title contender |
| #32 | Ricardo Pietreczko | Germany | £230,000 | Pikachu; European Tour winner |
World Darts Championship 128-Player Field Composition
The World Championship features an international field of 128 competitors qualified through three distinct avenues:
1. Top 32 PDC Order of Merit (The Seeds)
The world's highest earners over the two-year cycle receive guaranteed seeded positions and bypass Round One entirely, entering directly at the Round Two stage.
2. Top 32 ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers
The next 32 highest earners from the single-season ProTour (European Tour + Players Championship events) who are not already in the top 32 main Order of Merit enter in Round One.
3. International & Tour Card Qualifiers (64 Players)
Global qualifying circuits including the PDC Asian Tour, DPA Australian Tour, CDC North American Tour, PDC Nordic & Baltic, Women's Series qualifiers, World Youth Champion, and final Tour Card Holder Qualifiers.
PDC World Rankings FAQ
Does Premier League prize money count towards the Order of Merit?
No. Premier League Darts is an invitational tournament. Although the champion receives £275,000, non-ranking events do not contribute to the official PDC Order of Merit.
What does "defending prize money" mean in darts?
Because the Order of Merit covers a rolling two-year window, any prize money won exactly two years ago drops off a player's balance. If a player won £500,000 as World Champion two years prior, they must repeat that performance to avoid losing £500,000 from their ranking calculation.
Who holds the record for longest consecutive streak as World No. 1?
Phil Taylor held the World No. 1 ranking for a cumulative total of over 13 years across multiple reigns. In the modern era, Michael van Gerwen held the No. 1 spot uninterrupted for seven continuous years from January 2014 to January 2021.